Correspondent photos / John Patrick Gatta Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters event coordinator Janet Cobb, right, addresses the crowd at Tuesday’s Women’s Equality Day rally with Patience Morris of Salineville dressed as Rosie the Riveter holding a homemade painting with important issues listed on it as well as the word “love” written in multiple languages. The rally took place outside the Mahoning County Courthouse.

YOUNGSTOWN — Emphasized by chants of “We’re not going back,” a rally Tuesday on Women’s Equality Day in front of the Mahoning County Courthouse celebrated past accomplishments, acknowledged present threats and aimed to unite supporters for a better future.

Established by Congress in 1973, Women’s Equality Day annually commemorates the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. It honors the history of the women’s suffrage movement and the ongoing efforts to achieve full gender equality in the United States.

“Now more than ever it is important to both celebrate the hard fought for and won right of women’s suffrage, but also to reaffirm that the fight is not over,” said Helena Komsa, president of Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters (MVFF). “There are forces at work trying to undo the progress of the last century of women’s liberation. We need to show them that we will not stand idly by and let that happen.”

Organized by the MVFF, the event brought together nearly 100 regional activists of both genders to listen to speeches, be inspired and gain additional knowledge on women’s issues.

Among the information made available at multiple tables, Red, Wine & Blue represented the 50,000 women and 60 grassroots groups in Ohio, including two in the Mahoning Valley. Ohio organizer Robyn Forney said the national organization with 600,000 women members nationwide, is “a non-partisan organization that promotes common sense candidates and issues. This year, we’re really focused on school board races. There are 8,000 races here in Ohio. School boards are still nonpartisan. Let’s hope it stays that way.

She added, “These school board members are the last guardrails for our communities and kiddos from all of the damage coming down from the State House with budgeting and new laws.”

When asked what motivated him to come to the rally, John Keenan of Youngstown said, “To protect women’s rights. When I hear different elected officials talking about one vote per household, and only the man should vote, that’s just disturbing, and sadly there are people that think that way. We’re just people making a stand against that kind of thinking.”

Keenan is referencing the controversial Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (aka SAVE Act). Passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, the law would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration for federal elections in addition to existing requirements like proof of age and residency. Proponents argue that it safeguards against noncitizen voting, while critics point out that the language of the bill would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, particularly women, seniors and students.

The Ohio General Assembly has corresponding legislation, SB 153 / HB 233, that is currently under consideration.

Komsa pointed out that both bills “seek to add unnecessary requirements to voter registration. In particular they require that voters’ registrations match their names on their birth certificates and add additional identification requirements for registration and voting. Among those likely to be affected by these restrictions are married women who changed their name, and members of the LGBTQ community that have changed their legal name from their birth name. Many others will be affected, as access to adequate documentation to register can be difficult for resource-constrained community members.

She continued, “The effect is that many people, disproportionately women, and members of vulnerable communities, will lose access to their right to vote. All this is being done under the guise of stopping in person voter fraud, a crime that is virtually nonexistent.”

Because of that issue and Equality Day, State Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, spoke at the rally.

The rally also featured speeches from Dr. Amanda Fehlbaum, director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Youngstown State University, MVFF member Miah Pierce and Deborah Bowman, Columbiana County Democratic Women’s Caucus, among others.

“The legislation being passed and debated in Ohio is writing a story about women, and right now that story says women can work twice as hard and still get half the pay. Women can do everything to raise the next generation, but can’t be trusted to make decisions about our own bodies,” McNally said. “Women could be leaders in their communities, but are still expected to sit quietly, while men face the credit. That’s the story they’re writing for us. But it’s not the story we’re going to live.”

Fehlbaum’s speech concentrated on reproductive rights and the SAVE Act.

Summing up the reason behind everyone’s attendance, MVFF member Miah Pierce, who received a master’s degree in social work from YSU said, “Women’s Equality Day is a representation of love, of power, of strength, of courage and of hope, where women can rejoice and remember all of the sacrifices that were made for them to strive in the world and to make a difference.

“It is a day where women can come together as one and use their voices to proclaim the works of the women that came before them and express gratitude because of the fight that was put up for all of us to be here today.”